Bad Ideas (InoSaku)
by Kay Ross
Summary: "I'm just saying!" Naruto shrugged, cheeks bloated with rice and barbecue. "You and Ino should totally make-out in front of Kakashi-sensei. It would be the perfect birthday gift." / What's worse than an annoying song stuck in your head? An annoying idea - and now, the two girls can't seem to get rid of the idea of 'kissing' & Shikamaru and Naruto need to help. InoSaku SakuIno YURI
1. Chapter 1

**Hi! I've been gone a while, and wanted to flex the writing muscles out again. This is a short little multi-chap full of InoSaku awkward goodness. It should be around 3-5 chapters, so I hope you stick around.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

Chapter 1: Like all great predicaments in this world, it started out as nothing.

-x-x-x-x-

" _What?_ " Sakura scoffed, irritated that her idiot of a teammate could even _suggest_ such a thing.

Shikamaru hid a snicker, Choji completely ignored everyone in favor of his food, and Ino's sharp soprano laugher echoed louder than Sakura's complaint.

"I'm just saying!" Naruto shrugged, cheeks bloated with rice and barbecue. His features had become sharper with age, but it always warmed Sakura's heart that he would never _really_ change—and she wouldn't have him any other way. "You and Ino should totally make-out in front of Kakashi-sensei. It would be the perfect birthday gift."

"We would _break_ him, wouldn't we Forehead?" Ino said, casually draping an arm around Sakura's neck and winking at her direction for full effect.

"And we'd never get him to stop asking once we start," The pinkette rolled her eyes, albeit chuckling at the silliness of it all.

Team 10 and Team 7—Sai and Sasuke would join on some days—had developed a ritual of having lunch together at least once every two weeks. It started off with the boys tagging along Ino and Sakura's 'lunch dates' until eventually it was the norm for them to show up at the same place and time, consistently. Shikamaru pretended it was 'troublesome' but hadn't missed a single one since; Choji and Naruto just liked having friends to eat with.

"So… you _would_ make out with one another?" Naruto gently prodded, his chopsticks pausing halfway up to his mouth while his eyebrows wiggled.

"Isn't it a normal girl-bestfriend thing or something?" Shikamaru asked with mild interest. "I mean, at this point in their friendship I wouldn't be surprised and it probably wouldn't bother them."

"Are we seriously letting them have this conversation, Ino-pig?"

"Cute. You even have nicknames." Shikamaru teased.

"Maybe if you punch him full-force he'll shut up." Ino replied in all seriousness.

"Perhaps," Sakura nodded sagely, already picking up on her bestfriend's mischievous aura. "But maybe the boys would shut up if we just give them what they wanted before trying it out on sensei."

At this point, the three boys had effectively paused from eating and were staring slack-jawed at the pair.

"Like, right here?" Naruto sounded a little too hopeful for Sakura's liking and Shikamaru was smart enough to not say a word.

"Hmm, maybe you two could make it quick?" Choji said earnestly. "The barbecue will either burn or get cold if it takes too long."

At this, the girls had broken into fits of laughter.

"Keep dreaming, Naruto." Sakura ruffled his hair as she settled her chopsticks across her bowl and began to reach for her belongings.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "I thought you were going to—"

"We were just messing with you." Ino rolled her eyes. "Sakura's forehead is _way_ too big for her to get that lucky."

"Hah, as if I'd want to kiss _you_ , little miss piggy." Sakura shot back, already slinging her bag over her shoulder.

"Leaving so soon?" Choji looked up, disappointed.

"Tsunade-shishou's orders." Sakura replied apologetically.

Ino and Sakura bid their farewells and ushered themselves out of the little booth back into the streets and to work. After the war ravaged the land, people with Ino and Sakura's talents—an exceptionally powerful Yamanaka and a Byakugo-seal holder who both have significant medical prowess—proved to be invaluable. Sakura had earned a place up there with Tsunade, a true master of the fist and the scalpel. Ino helped heal more subtle wounds: the ones whose minds had been scarred by war. Konoha Hospital was lucky to have both within their hallways.

"Girls are so troublesome," Shikamaru sighed, looking out the window to see Ino and Sakura walk side-by-side and _immediately_ start arguing about something that they probably didn't _really_ care about.

"I know, right? For a minute there I really thought they were going to make out!" Naruto said with wonder. "And then they seemed so comfortable about it, but then turns out they haven't, so now I'm confused and—"

"Naruto, I think Shikamaru said that because they skipped the bill." Choji supplied.

Naruto's stomach sank—Gama-chan the wallet was _not_ in good health.

"What?! S-Sakura-chan come back!"

"Stop complaining," Shikamaru resigned himself. "You did the same to them last time."

* * *

Sakura slipped into her medic's coat with a spring to her step. Their bi-monthly lunches out always put her in a better mood for the afternoon shift; it felt a little bit like having a breath of fresh air that _didn't_ smell like antiseptic and gauze. Picking up a clipboard, she cross-referenced the errands she had listed down mentally with the ones she'd written down in ink—Naruto was due for some immunizations before a week-long mission to Amegakure; Sasuke was reporting back to Kakashi sometime this week—he likely needs to replenish his medical supplies and has a gash (or ten) that needs stitching and disinfecting; Shizune was waiting on the results of a new poison Sakura had analyzed, and she promised to take the task of synthesizing an antidote off of her shoulders; Ino had referred one of her patients to Sakura—a poor chuunin whose temple was in the way of a senbon.

The patient was of particular interest to both kunoichi because aside from his state of mental disarray and sudden loss of control over his speaking faculties, he was in perfect health. The field nurses were quick to assume it was mental trauma and sent him to Ino's way, but Ino confirmed that the case was actually neurophysiological: a small lesion to an area of the brain which caters to awareness and speech—an area so small that only someone with perfect chakra control can perform corrective surgery _without_ causing even more damage.

Sakura smirked at the thought of Ino, recalling their earlier banter. She brisk-walked down the corridor towards the Psychiatric ward with the intention of acquiring the patient files from the aforementioned blonde. Out of nowhere though, a little, timid thought snuck into the earth of Sakura's mind like an incessant worm:

Kissing Ino… wouldn't actually be _that_ bad.

It wouldn't be bad at all, the more she thought about it. It's not like she _wanted_ to—it was just admitting the fact that if she _had_ to, it wouldn't be the end of the world. Ino by all standards is a very attractive young woman who was more intelligent than she let people notice. Sakura wasn't just anybody to Ino, and she knew the best and the worst of the free-spirited woman like nobody else did. It was just a fact: If she _had_ to kiss Ino, it wouldn't come up as any sort of problem or compromise.

But Sakura wondered, would Ino feel the same about kissing— _no_. She was _not_ going down that line of thinking.

"Forehead? You almost bypassed my office." A familiar voice pulled Sakura out of her musing—matched with a 'poke' to her purple rhombus.

Habit dictated that she huff indignantly, swat the offending hand away, and fire back a well-practiced retort involving the world 'pig'. However, Sakura's body didn't feel like listening to 'habit' today, and instead flushed the _slightest_ hint of pink at the neck and jumped back like a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

"Uhm. Earth to Sakura—are you okay?" Ino stepped back (did her hair _always_ cascade around her shoulders that way when untied?) and put her hands to her waist, inspecting Sakura. "You looked super spaced out one minute and caught off guard the next."

"I—Uh. Yeah. I'm fine, just thinking about a lot of things." She countered swiftly, smoothing out her coat on habit once she's collected herself. In truth, there was nothing to be frazzled about—she was just a little guilty at bumping into Ino when she had just been thinking of _kissing_ her. "Came by for the patient files, I'll need some time to prepare and consult with you before I plan out the operation."

"Got them right here," Ino winked, tossing Sakura a folder.

"Thanks." The pinkette replied, busying herself with scanning through the files while hiding relief that Ino let the former issue go. "These are good—I'll come by if I need more."

"So clingy." Ino sighed exaggeratedly, flipping her hair. "Next thing I know you'll be taking up Naruto's suggestion."

" _Please_ ," Sakura did her best to sound annoyed. "We both know that's your way of asking for it, so don't pretend it's me."

Ino rolled her eyes, sharing a good laugh with Sakura over the silly joke. "Whatever, forehead. Let's have coffee and do our nails later, what do you say? The sooner we go over Mr. Brain Lesion, the faster he can talk again."

"Sounds good," Sakura's eyes were already glued to the paper, absorbing information as fast as she could—he was 21 years old, no family history of psychiatric or congenital disorders, and was previously hospitalized for a broken wrist. When Sakura started, it was hard to pull her out of 'the zone', so Ino took it upon herself to usher the medic out of the Psychiatric wing and back to her office. Sakura waved her friend a quick farewell while Ino licked her pink, vanilla-glossed lips and flashed her a smile.

Sakura paused mid-step. Shit.

Did she seriously just think 'pink, vanilla-glossed lips' about Ino?

* * *

 **I hope you have the time to leave a review and toss some ideas if you have any! I plan to just have fun with this - no major drama or anything like that. Thanks for reading!  
**


	2. Going Crazy

**Good day! I hope you enjoy this next chapter.**

* * *

Chapter 2: Problems are like mustard seeds—they start out small and then suddenly they're a giant fucking tree impossible to uproot without a bulldozer.

-x-x-x-x-

Ino spares the wall clock a glance—it's a little over five in the afternoon and she was due for coffee with Sakura in an hour. She wraps up her report and begins to go over more files on the Senbon Brain Lesion case. The young man—Akimoto Ichiro—lived a healthy lifestyle, had a history of tension migraines, and has lighting-type chakra. That was a very, very bad thing for Sakura. Corrective surgery in the brain dealt with repairing neural networks—the very 'avenues' through which the electrical impulses from the brain to the rest of the body traveled. This requires precise and well-controlled chakra-suturing; hence, the need for Sakura. But here's the catch: Ichiro's tendency to change chakra nature to electricity might prove problematic for the _rest_ of his brain at the _slightest_ change in chakra circulation.

She sighed, it was one problem after another; at least she gets to share this one with someone else. Ino is caught off guard by the sudden anticipation to see Sakura but she doesn't think anything out of it—it's nothing new. She puts her reports to Tsunade in one pile, and the follow-up files for Sakura in an envelope which she secures in her tote bag.

By now, she has half an hour to spare before leaving. She reclined into her office chair, carelessly setting her feet on the desk. Time to kill and a solitary office were the perfect ingredients to a wandering mind, but her mind didn't wander too far away and settled on pink. Pastel pink, tinged with green and the smell of cherries. She chewed on her lip, feeling a strange sense of satisfaction at seeing Sakura get flustered by her teasing. Sakura's cheeks only burned when she was drunk or blushing like crazy; most of the time it was only her neck and the tip of her ears that flared up. They'd turn the slightest shade closer to her hair, and instead of being more frazzled, Sakura actually becomes muted when she's flustered because she tries so hard to take back control. It was a little adorable and— _hold on_. Ino sits up abruptly to run a hand through her blonde hair; that line of thinking was getting a little… _weird._

But regardless, her best friend had features which she could appreciate and there was nothing wrong with appreciating them… right?

She shook her head a laughed a little—overthinking was _Sakura's_ trait and not hers, for goodness' sake! One last glance to the wall read five fifty, and while Ino was a believer of being fashionably late, ten minutes early wouldn't hurt either.

* * *

"This shade?" Sakura held the little glass bottle up, and Ino hummed for a good two seconds before shaking her head.

"Would've been a nice color, but your hair's already pink."

The medic slumped into Ino's couch. "I get too much shit for my hair in this life."

"I know the feeling," Ino said with exaggerated sympathy. "My striking good looks have that effect on my life, too."

"A minimal one, you mean?"

"Hah! So you _do_ agree I have strikingly good looks." Ino grinned with smug triumph.

"Surprisingly tall and fair for a pig, I can't deny that." Sakura shot back, picking up a bottle of pastel blue and holding it against her nails.

When Ino settled for pelting her with a throw pillow, Sakura laughed in good nature knowing she won this round of verbal jousting. "Man, I miss doing this. Sleepovers and our nails, without a mutual patient about to undergo invasive cranial surgery."

"Tell me about it." Ino groaned, plopping down onto the couch beside Sakura. "I miss being a teenager who worried about boys and first kisses."

"We're twenty-one, we still have time to worry about boys and kisses." Sakura said, casually leaning her back onto Ino's side as she took another shade of blue—just a little darker—and compared it to the one she picked out prior.

Ino didn't know why, but Shikamaru's annoying smirk had passed by her thoughts and she was drawn back to their earlier lunch break—and its notorious topic. "You think what Shikamaru said was right?"

"About what, kissing?" Sakura said after a barely noticeable pause.

"Yeah." Ino shrugged. "I kind of _am_ surprised we haven't drunkenly made out at a party and just laugh about it the next day."

"Oh, so you really _were_ asking for a kiss earlier in the hospital?" Sakura teased with a laugh, although the tips of her ears were just a little pink.

"Hah, as _if_ —you'd freak out, little miss prude." Ino taunted.

"You did _not_ just call me a prude." Nail polish discarded and forgotten, Sakura turned to stare down Ino's pools of blue.

"I did." Ino smirked back.

Sakura, despite how much she's matured as a person and shinobi, wanted nothing else but to wipe the smug smirk off that pretty little face.

"Really? Don't push too hard—I just might prove Shikamaru right." The medic shot back like it was a walk in the park.

Ino almost snorted. "We're seriously doing this, aren't we Forehead?"

"Better late than never?" Sakura's grin was far and wide.

"Is it weird that it isn't weird at all?" Ino sat herself cross-legged in front of Sakura. "Well, it's just a kiss."

"Actually, I totally get you on that." The medic faced Ino and took a similar sitting position before shooting Ino a challenging wink. "Think you can handle it?"

Ino could feel fire in her veins—a flame fueled by volatile competitiveness. She pushed a little more. "Is that a _kiss-threat_?" She snickered. "I hope you can walk your talk, _Haruno._ "

Sakura's pink eyebrows lifted ever so slightly, but Ino _knew_ that look on her face: the set of her jaw, the glint on those emerald eyes that had the perfect mix of mischief, uncertainty and defiance. This had become a showdown on who was going to back down first.

Ino _hated_ losing.

"Try me." Sakura taunted.

"Good choice of words for an invitation." Ino winked.

"Oh, sorry, of course _I'd_ have to be the one to have initiative, right?" Sakura baited her on.

"Oh, no, no, you aren't going to beat me to this!" Ino was holding in her laughter—they were acting like silly teenagers again and, to be completely honest, she _loved_ it.

Sakura actually grabbed her by the shoulders in an attempt to keep her in place, but Ino spun around just as Sakura dove in to steal a kiss—twisting her body so that Sakura fell down and Ino had the upper hand. Now having leverage, she took the chance to lock Sakura's arms in an awkward hold so that she couldn't shield her face from Ino's kiss-of-death. A little scuffle ensued (which involved more bruises and bumps than they expected), and suddenly there was the awkward bumping of their noses, and the sudden soft _puck_ of a kiss.

They paused, limbs sticking out at awkward angles, and stared at one another for a second or two before bursting out laughing.

"I can't believe we just did that!" Sakura felt her knees go weak and bent over into the cushions to hold herself steady.

"We totally just—We wrestled so we could—Haha!" There were tears at the corner of Ino's eyes and she was laughing so hard it _hurt_. They were ridiculous! And it was the best kind of ridiculous ever.

"I love you. You really _are_ my best friend." Sakura struggled to say through her snickers, clutching at her side which was aching by now. She was carefree and struggling to catch her breath and there wasn't a single ounce of awkwardness between them. Sakura was at ease.

Ino was grinning because this—this weird little bubble where they could both be comfortable in their own skin and their weird little antics—this is all she wants sometimes. And she's thankful she gets to have that with Sakura. The boisterous laughter simmers down to giggles, and eventually they lie on the couch, catching their breath and feeling silly.

After some time, Sakura finally nags Ino to collect herself so they could stop being twelve-year-olds and get back to studying the medical case ("So bossy, Forehead!"). Ino had licked her lips. She noted at the back of her mind (while picking up the scattered pages of Mr. Akimoto's medical history) that Sakura tasted the same as how she smelled—like cherries.

Ino was a little disconcerted by _just how much_ she like cherries at that moment.

* * *

She couldn't believe this was happening to her. She simply could _not._

But it was—and it sucked. It was distracting her from work and she was glad that Sakura flew over to another planet whenever she was thinking—last thing she wanted was to get caught. Sakura had barged in on her office and spread out all their files on Akimoto Ichiro: she was explaining something about how Ino could help sustain a barrier localized around the area of interest so that her chakra won't affect the electrical impulses of the rest of the brain but the details flew right over Ino's head—all she could think about was cherry-flavored lip gloss. She also liked her messy pony tail, some strands of which were falling lose and down to the back of her neck.

And _damn_ ; her new mission outfit really did fit well when the medic's coat didn't hide it away. At this point, maybe acknowledging a little bit of attraction was okay. Sakura had finally bloomed, and one could argue that it took some time; so, when it came, it came in full-force. Beauty to was to be appreciated in all its forms and manifestations after all, and growing up as a florist Ino knew that better than others did. It would come and go faster if she didn't fight back and make a fuss out of it—why should she?—and she didn't want to make things awkward. So Ino put it in a box and hid it away, thinking about it too much would only make it—

"Hey. _Hey_! Ino?"

 _Ah, shit._

"Yes?"

"Is there something on my shirt?" Sakura frowned, smoothing out the fabric and looking for stains.

"Uhm—no, no I was just trying to remember a flower that was the same shade of red in the shop." Ino quickly amended, cursing at how uncharacteristic her excuse was.

"Oh… kay?" Sakura spared her a worried glance. "Anything on your mind?"

Now, Ino Yamanaka was known for a lot of things, but the top three were her looks, her mind-jutsus, and her overbearing and un-assailable self-confidence. Which she needed a lot of. Right now. Where did it go all of a sudden? Good lord, it's just _Sakura_.

"Just a little problem here and there, nothing I can't handle."

Sakura didn't want to press, but the look on her face was a little hurt. Ino didn't hide things often.

The blonde shook her head, pumping her usual teasing back into her voice. "Nothing you can't kiss better, I promise."

Okay, that was _not_ the best choice of jokes and Ino was hoping harder and faster that the uncertain look Sakura was giving her wasn't out of discomfort. This was _okay_ ; if she acted like the kiss last night never happened that would be weirder. Humor was a sign of comfort. Right?

Sakura snorted—and was that a blush? "Only if you say 'please'."

Heart racing a little faster, and maybe meaning it more than just a little joke; Ino shot her a challenging smirk to hide her nerves.

"Please?"

* * *

"My brain is going to explode." Sakura almost banged her head against the countertop of Ichiraku Ramen.

"And this is because…?" Shikamaru gave her a sidelong look with crossed arm.

"Ino."

"Troublesome. She _does_ have that effect on people though."

"And I mean this is a way that has nothing to do with her family's techniques."

"As do I." Shikamaru sighed. "Don't tell me you like the same boy again."

"That would be easier." Sakura stirred her barely-touched ramen with her chopsticks. "And less awkward."

Shikamaru simply raised his eyebrows in a silent question. Sakura sighed.

"I… I may have a little problem I need to share. That's why I asked to have lunch."

"Don't take this the wrong way, but why are you going to me and not Naruto and Sasuke?"

Sakura shuddered at the thought of having to have this conversation with her teammates. "I love them both, but just… _no._ Hear me out for a moment."

The strategist gave her a quick nod, and Sakura took a deep breath.

"Okay so. Remember joking about kissing a few days ago?"

By the way that his eyebrows shot a considerable distance up, this definitely caught is attention.

Sakura continued. "Well, later that night we were kidding around while doing our nails and working on a medical case when we decided it would be harmless to try to kiss—just for shits and giggles and to get back at you boys for teasing."

Shikamaru almost choked on the broth. "You actually kissed?"

" _But_ ," Sakura supplied, exasperated. "I don't know. She's driving me crazy. She's been teasing me so much and—and—"

"You're starting to feel uncomfortable." Shikamaru frowned.

"That wouldn't be the right word for it." Sakura's ears started to flush a little, and she looked away, chewing her lips.

"Oh dear." Shikamaru had this thinking cap on, and Sakura could see the cogs turning and falling into place. "You _like_ her."

"No!" Sakura almost shrieked. "I mean—not like _that._ "

She wasn't entirely sure why she sought out _Shikamaru_ of all people, but he was logical and smart and that's what she needed. Sakura had been through too much. She was too mature, too powerful (which did her ego a good boost thinking about), and has been through so much worse to be frazzled over the possibility of developing a crush on her best friend. _Possibility,_ because she thinks her continuous musing on the kiss was a simple a side-effect of having been exposed to physical contact after going through a _war_ and constant heartache. Regardless, no matter what these feelings were, Ino was simply the worst possible person to feel them for—Naruto was a close second. On most days they were practically inseparable and she didn't want their friendship to be diminished to fragile, jumpy interactions and constant tension at the fear of being caught.

It didn't help that Ino was teasing her about it _mercilessly._ She we wished she could do the same—the blonde was so at ease about it! It solidified Sakura's belief that there was something a little _off_ about how she felt; Ino seemed just fine.

Ugh. Maybe she _should_ just bang her head on the countertop.

"I'm going to assume that talking about it isn't an option?" Shikamaru inquired.

"Nope. Not a chance."

"Then just wait it out. If you don't have feelings for her then maybe you just got caught off guard by the physical affection. Act normal."

Sakura huffed a few strands of pink out of her face. "Easier said than done."

"Troublesome. You just _had_ to go and take our bait."

Sakura didn't spare him from her glare—this entire mess _was_ partially his fault, after all.

* * *

Shikamaru walked a leisurely place home. Another day done, another stack of paperwork shelved away.

He looked up to watch the clouds, hands in his pockets. The kids were walking home in triads, fresh out of the academy; he kind of envied them. They were carefree with big smiles on their faces. No torment of war, no immediate threat of invasion. They had worked hard for this peace and he was proud of it—the kids deserved that much.

He sighed. When had he become so industrious?

"Shikamaru." A voice cut him out of his thoughts from down the street.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. The comfort of a lazy afternoon from work had just disappeared.

"Yes, Ino?"

She was already dragging him by the wrist to the nearest Yakiniku shop.

"I need a drink and your brain and—ugh! I think I'm going crazy."

 _Troublesome._

* * *

 **Hey guys! I hope you stayed tuned. The next chapter will have less internal turmoil and more interaction between the two of them. I may pick up the pace since the romantic progress was a little slow in this one, but I didn't want to jump the gun and I wanted to make a few points clear about their conflicts.**

 **Hope you leave a review, and thank you for reading!**

 **-KR**


	3. Tracing Figures

**This took some time, I hope you all enjoy this.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters.**

* * *

Chapter 3: Take my hand and don't you _fucking_ let go.

* * *

"Forehead."

Sakura looked up from her textbook and saw the loveliest shade of blue.

"Look who's clingy now, Ino-pig." She tried to sound annoyed.

"Well you're stuck with me for today, it seems. Check-up on Akimoto-san." The blonde sat herself down on the chair across Sakura's office desk, propping her head up with her elbow while she leaned over to take a peek at Sakura's readings.

"Neuroanatomy and Chakra—text with Tsunade-shishou's notes in the margins."

"What a nerd," Ino teased.

"You do know we need this right for the brain-lesion case right? I'm trying to find out which cranial nerve runs nearest the lesion area—those nerves are notorious for being chakra path-ways as well and I was thinking you could suspend the chakra-flow there."

Ino paused to think. "Could be a good idea, but we might need Hinata's Byakugan to be able to pin-point the location."

"This case is becoming more and more of a handful." Sakura groaned, folding the page at the corner—Ino cringed—to mark it before closing.

"Haruno Sakura voicing out defeat?" She mocked surprise.

"Haruno Sakura is _whining_ , that's different." The other woman mumbled, closing her eyes while she leaned back and threw her hands upward in a stretch.

Ino tried _not_ to appreciate the view too much.

"Well, I've got some good news. I tried to research on Uzumaki clan seals and we might be able to learn something on how the 4th Hokage sealed precise amounts of his chakra within Naruto. Actually, everything about what Naruto's parents left him with would be a lot of help in the chakra-sealing department. I can't be careless or else I'd shut his entire brain off."

 _A lot like what you've done to me lately._ Sakura thought with a dry laugh.

"What's funny?" Ino raised an immaculate eyebrow.

"Nothing." Sakura shook her head and collected herself. "How's that other patient of yours doing? The genin—uh—Kaori?"

Ino bit her lip and looked away, mood visibly souring. Sakura cursed her lack of sensitivity; in her rush to change the topic she forgot that Ino's patients were different from hers, and that the descent to insanity was a difficult one to watch.

"Not very… stable. Post-traumatic stress disorder—he was the only one left of his three-man cell."

"Survivor's guilt." Sakura nodded grimly, regretting bring it up. On instinct, she reached across her table and took Ino's hand, bringing her thumb over the latter's knuckles. "He'll be fine."

Ino nodded with her usual confidence. Sakura admired that about her—she was just so sure of herself. Sakura had grown immensely in the self-confidence department over the years, but Ino's was something else; something she had from the very beginning.

Refusing to mope, Ino put the chipper back in her voice. "Let me have a look at that." She took the chair and dragged it around the table to have a seat beside the medic-nin. She reached for the book Sakura was reading and opened it at the marked page, flipping backwards to the start of the chapter. Interestingly enough, she found the hand she had let go once again, and Sakura could feel herself flush.

They continued their discussion on the best way to approach the surgery. Sakura discovered it was a little difficult to concentrate on work when Ino's soft fingertips were tracing the lines of her calloused palm.

 **x-x-x-x-x**

They emerged from the office at lunch time, striding through the hallways with Sakura's hand firmly planted on Ino's lower back in an uncharacteristically possessive gesture.

"Hungry?" Sakura shot her an inquiring look while she stifled a yawn.

It was kind of cute and Ino _tried_ not to smirk. "A bit."

Sakura noticed and raised a rebellious eyebrow. "What do you feel like having?"

 _Really?_ Ino thought, a little unsure of whether or not Sakura was flirting—was she overthinking this? Good lord, now was _not_ the time.

"Today's lunch with the boys, remember?" _Evade._

"Oh." Sakura visibly sobered, tapping herself on the forehead. "I completely forgot."

"Must be hard to keep your thoughts organized behind that huge forehead." Ino grinned, poking at the aforementioned area in jest.

"When are you _ever_ going to grow up, Ino-pig."

"Hey! You take the bait; you aren't doing all that much better!"

Sakura would argue back, but she was right. Feeling a little bit braver, she took Ino by the hand to drag her out of the hospital to their favorite Yakiniku Shop.

* * *

Naruto scowled at Sakura, half-confused and half-defensive. She probably deserved it, she thought, since she was practically shooting him daggers with her eyes and he probably had no idea _why._ The medic maintained her composure and calmly engaged in pleasant conversation on the outside, but her mind was running at a hundred miles per hour.

Yes, _fine_ , she'll admit it: she's crushing on Ino pretty hard. It was all Naruto's fault! Stupid suggestion, stupid birthday present, _stupid Ino for baiting her to a kiss!_ And, most of all, stupid _self_ for falling right into all of it.

"So, is Kakashi-sensei getting that gift?" Naruto joked in passing while he dove in with his chopsticks for another round.

Ino sounded like she just choked on something that was still alive, and Sakura had _snapped_ her chopsticks in half. Naruto, expecting a bitchy retort from one or both women, looked up in mild concern when no amount of sass was thrown to him.

"Okay. _What_ is up with lunch today?" Naruto asked no one in particular.

"I know what you mean," Choji nodded sagely. "The meat isn't as tender. Perhaps it's because of the livestock crisis the recent rogue attacks have started?"

Shikamaru looked like his eyes would roll back into his skull.

"Come clean, Naruto, _you_ want it more than sensei does." Sakura managed to collect herself, swiftly replacing her incapacitated pair of chopsticks with a new one. Her ears were tinged with pink.

"Yeah." Ino supplied. "What's the fixation on me kissing forehead here? Like I said, it ain't happening again and—"

" _Again?_ " Choji paused.

"I mean—"

"You—You _kissed_!" Naruto gagged, looking like he might get a nosebleed.

"It was nothing." Sakura amended in a panic. "Just wanted to do something silly."

Ino bit her lip. 'Nothing' kind of stung but, why should it? Sakura was just telling the truth.

"Silly! Hah!" Naruto crossed his arms. "As silly as the googley eyes you send each other when you think you aren't looking?"

"I do _not_ make googley-eyes." Ino scoffed with indignance.

Somehow, Sakura wasn't taking the teasing as bad as Ino was—she was used to Naruto by now. "Ino with googley eyes," she snickered. "Imagine that."

"I thought you were on my side!" Ino admonished.

"Ino and Sakura are apparently 'on the same side'. The world just ended." Choji mumbled.

"I swear, you three will be the death of us." Sakura sighed in defeat. "Somehow, I imagine things to be so much worse if Sai were here."

Ino almost shivered. "For an 'emotionless' and 'partial' guy, he's kind of an asshole."

"He's not so bad; grows on you." Naruto shrugged.

"I thought you were into him?"

Ino shot Choji an off-guard look at his question. For some reason, Ino felt the need to spare a quick glance towards Sakura and gauge her reaction to the unexpected query. The medic seemed calm—too calm. She wasn't looking towards Ino like the others were but was instead setting her food on fire with her eyes, chopsticks paused halfway to her mouth as if she was waiting and listening intently for the answer.

Ino feigned indifference. "I guess it was cute when he was new, but now I'm kind of just 'okay' with him."

Apparently, that was the right answer because Sakura's shoulders relaxed and she carried on with her meal like nothing happened. Ino internally smirked. It was a little bit presumptuous, but if that was jealousy… well. It was the _slightest_ bit satisfying to see, to say the least.

When she tore her eyes away from Sakura, she was immediately caught by Shikamaru's unnervingly dark and _sharp_ eyes. He raised a single eyebrow while fighting down a smirk. Ino shrugged. He sighed, shaking his head in what she assumed was amusement and she was thankful for his subtlety. Her little dilemma with Sakura was something he was privy to—it was either tell him outright on her own terms or wait for him to figure it out in a disaster. The little prick was too smart for everyone's own good.

"So, you all crashing Ten-Ten's birthday later this week?" Shikamaru casually shifted topics.

"Of course! Free food, man." Naruto grinned, earning a thumbs-up of approval from Choji.

"More like free _alcohol!_ "

"Which we _can't_ have too much of, because we have a meeting with Shizune first thing in the morning the next day." Sakura grumbled.

"You are such a mom, forehead."

"Didn't say you can't drink—just don't get shit-faced for both our sakes."

"Loosen up, it's not like I'm going to pounce you." Ino rolled her eyes.

"Wanna bet on that?"

Ino was _already_ caught off-guard by the statement but the smirk on Sakura's face was enough to seal the deal.

"Well, well." Ino crossed her arms, feeling competitiveness mixing with flirtation. "I'm starting to think _you_ want that birthday gift more than Naruto does."

* * *

When the girls were already a decent distance away from the shop, Shikamaru sighed in relief.

"That was such a handful. But good job, Naruto. And nice work with bringing Sai up, Choji—it could've gone good or bad but thankfully it seems to have added the right kind of fuel to the fire."

"We're being meddlers." Choji gave a stern look to his two companions.

Shikamaru just shrugged, and Naruto rubbed the back of his nick with a guilty grin.

The Akimichi heir gave his own grin in turn. "I _love_ it!"

* * *

Sakura realized that she'd reached _that_ point. That dreaded point wherein it was impossible to ignore and stow away the growing knot at her stomach—the one that would tighten in on itself whenever Ino was around, the one that would do little flips when her face was near or when her hair fell over her shoulder in a curtain of gold and… _damn_. Did she really just think _all_ that?

Somehow, Naruto and Shikamaru just managed to make things worse. First, the stupid suggestion that started this whole mess, and now putting them on the spot during lunch, further adding fuel to whatever fire decided to ignite in Sakura's chest. Something was fishy, and Shikamaru was too smart to bait them on like that, but then Naruto… Naruto must've been the wildcard because she was _sure_ he wasn't perceptive enough to catch onto what she was feeling. She groaned—it was just a stroke of bad luck in conversations. 'Platonic' was far gone, and Sakura was scared. There was a lot to gain but so much more to lose. Her friendship with Ino was both easy and difficult at the same time and she didn't want to put anything off balance. But then… but then when they were together everything fell into place _even_ with all the play-fighting. It was how they showed affection and trust and honestly, having it any other way would just feel pretentious.

Sakura shook her head and scolded herself—she got distracted again. She leaned back into her living room couch and returned her focus to the scroll rolled open on her lap. She struggled to keep it in place with only her right hand because the left one was otherwise occupied.

"Why do you do that?" She finally asked.

Ino—who had been tracing shapes with her fingertips onto Sakura's palm, _again_ —paused. "I don't know."

"I don't mind." Sakura playfully caught Ino's retreating fingers, pulling them back down and opening her palm. To her surprise, the blonde had foregone tracing shapes and threaded their hands together instead.

"What, gives you butterflies in your stomach?" Ino teased.

 _That was actually pretty accurate._ "You wish, Ino-pig."

Ino looked about ready to argue back then stopped, looked at Sakura's wall clock, and locked her blue eyes back to Sakura's green ones. She almost looked regretful. "Thanks for letting me come over. I need to go—it's midnight."

"Finally. Thought you'd never leave."

"Shut up, you like having me around."

"Yeah, right."

Ino rolled her eyes before scooting over and pausing to contemplate on something. Sakura raised an eyebrow. The skeptical look didn't last for very long—Ino's hand was suddenly very warm in hers, her blue eyes looked uncertain, her hair was falling forward along with her face and something warm and soft was against her cheek before she knew it.

Ino had just kissed her cheek.

"For being _such_ good company." The blonde grinned, her voice dripping with sarcasm which Sakura knew she didn't mean.

Sakura thought she'd be flustered out of her mind, but somehow, she was doing just fine aside from the warmth up her neck. Her hand felt empty when it was suddenly free of Ino's, and the blonde woman took her time gathering her things and padding towards the door.

To Ino's surprise, there was the sudden sound of a rustling overcoat and a warm hand against her back. Sakura stood near her by the doorway, pink in the cheeks and looking anywhere but at Ino.

"I'll walk you home."

Ino smirked, and was about to say something cheeky but—

" _Don't_."

* * *

 **This chapter was really hard for me to write because I didn't know how I could 'balance' out the intimacy. Like, how much was too much? Or how little was too little? They were still in-between and it was driving me crazy figuring out what they can and can't be doing at this point.**

 **Hope you enjoyed, and if you have time to spare, I hope you can leave a review about what you liked, disliked, and generally what you think about it!**


	4. What Are You Waiting For?

***Holds breath and rolles sleeves up* Here goes nothing! [Frantic typing]**

 **This one is going to be really long.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

Chapter 4: "She said 'what are you waiting for?, kiss her, kiss her!" (Fall Out Boy, 2005)

* * *

"She'll temporary cut-off the corpus callosum and then cut-off the chakra path-ways of the left Trochlear nerve."

"That seems like a good way to isolate the possible effect of lighting-type chakra surges but, what happens if she can't undo the sealing? You'll take away half of his brain function and the innervation of the superior oblique muscle." Tsunade crossed her arms.

"Doing the surgery without shutting off the chakra pathways is more dangerous. Ino and I are sure, and Hinata will assist—she's no medic but she'll be able to see if I'm about to cut or suture something I shouldn't." Sakura stood firm.

There was a pause.

"You're right on that account." To Sakura's surprise, Tsunade smiled. "I forget how good you two have gotten."

Sakura blushed at the compliment and was about to formulate a decent response when a lithe pair of arms snaked around her neck and a whole lot of _blonde_ popped up beside her head.

"Hi." Ino greeted with a smile. "Sorry I'm late, Tsunade-shishou. I got held up by the genin-survivor."

Tsunade regarded them with a pause. She raised an eyebrow at Sakura—she was already starting to blush at the ears. She moved her hazel eyes towards Ino who suddenly grew conscious of her display of affection and awkwardly retracted her arms.

Deciding she'll ask all the questions at another time and place, she went back to business. "How is he—Kaori?"

"Better. We need to drug him to sleep to stop the nightmares, but he cooperates with therapy. He'll be fine if this continues, but I'm not sure if we can deploy him to high-mortality missions again."

"That would probably be best." Their mentor nodded. "Back to Akimoto, you two have everything you need?"

"I've refined the procedure, and Ino is ready with the seals. Hinata will be here shortly." Sakura affirmed.

Tsunade nodded as she stood. "Don't let me down." She said sternly, laying a hand on both their shoulders before she strode out of the little conference room. Ino visibly relaxed.

"I can smell the fear off of you, Yamanaka." Sakura teased, her actions betraying her words as she gently threaded her fingers with Ino's.

Ino did her best to look miffed, but the way she was chewing on her lip gave it away.

"Hey." Sakura had turned her body to face her. "Don't be nervous."

"I _wasn't._ "

"I know _I_ am, and I know there's nothing wrong with that. It's the first time such a complicated operation's going to be done."

"I guess it's just a little straining, what with Kaori and Akimoto happening all at once."

Sakura kept her warm grip on Ino's hand. Ino only _acted_ bitchy but she had so much empathy it was almost painful—sometimes Sakura wondered if she could _feel_ what her patients were going through because of her family techniques. She was probably nervous for _them_ and not herself.

Not knowing what else to do, Sakura gave Ino's nose a little pinch.

"Seriously?" Ino rolled her eyes.

"Would you rather I kiss it better?" Sakura smirked, lifting her hand to cup Ino's cheek and leaning forward to kiss her at the forehead.

Ino felt her stomach flip.

"Uhm—hi."

They broke away, looking flustered, to find Hinata at the doorway, blushing harder than either of them.

"Hinata!" Sakura chuckled uncomfortably, rubbing at the back of her neck. "I guess everything's ready at the operating room."

 **x-x-x-x**

They entered the room like they were going to war. It was a tedious operation—one that required delicacy and conviction at the same time. The brain was a dangerous territory to invade; there were twists and turns that shouldn't be tampered with, and every move more or less couldn't be undone. Hinata with her Byakugan was a godsend ("Sakura-chan, _stop._ You're too close to cutting the Trigmenial chakra network!"). Ino's work was mostly passive but just as important—maintaining and observing the seals which shut-off certain chakra pathways to lessen possible brain-damage. She also had to look over his vital signs: blood pressure, heartrate, respiration. Sakura had it the worst: she had to be the one to administer the anesthetic, open the cranium, make the delicate incisions which exposed the lesion, and she painstakingly cut off the dead tissue (it turned out to be poisoned—a major complication which happened to one of Sakura's strong points) and sent controlled bursts of chakra to cultivate and re-grow the damaged area.

A solid three hours later, the last suture was knotted. The three women walked out, discarding gloves, gowns, and sterile masks as they left the oppressive atmosphere of the operating room.

"That was exhausting." Sakura groaned, rolling her neck and hearing various pops and cracks.

"I remember you explicitly telling me _not_ to do that." Ino admonished. "I need to give Tenten a token or something, she really helped me out."

"Tenten-san?" Hinata inquired, looking a little weary herself.

"Yeah—sealing expert and all that. I couldn't ask her to do it because she didn't have the medical subtlety, but I learned a lot from her and the Uzumaki clan seals."

"Oh. You didn't ask Naruto-kun?"

"We know you love him," Sakura chuckled. "but do you really think he'd have a _clue_?"

Hinata giggled—Sakura was probably right. "Speaking of, I need to go see to him in case he forgets to prepare for later. I hope you both rest well, see you at the party."

Ino watched as Hinata walked off, graceful and gentle and everything in between. "I wonder if Naruto has _any_ idea how lucky he is."

"Considering how big that idiot's heart is, Hinata's pretty lucky herself."

The blonde took a deep breath—the finality of her recent, most-urgent task had finally set in. The operation was finished, and suddenly there was a lot more time to think about everything else she had on her plate.

"It's over. Now all that's left to do is wait until he wakes up."

"I'll _finally_ have my office all to myself again." Sakura teased. What she _didn't_ say was that it made her feel a little down; she liked having every excuse to see Ino. The Akimoto case had them practically inseparable for the past two weeks and Sakura found herself craving for Ino's presence on the days she was busy.

"What, did I annoy you _that_ much?"

"It wasn't all that bad, having you around."

"Lucky you." Ino smirked. "I guess we've got to go, though. See you later at the party?"

Sakura paused. "Nope," she took Ino's hand—it came more naturally now—and pulled her down the hallway. "Let's have lunch."

"Lunch? It's three in the afternoon."

"Shut up, Ino-pig. I don't feel like sharing you yet."

Ino's eyebrows shot up. Whatever Sakura meant, she didn't ask, and she wasn't complaining.

* * *

"Nothing drastic, okay? Just get into their personal space, try to make her laugh and the like." Shikamaru looked the young chuunin in the eye, making sure he understood what he had to do. The boy was a typical nineteen-year-old. A little fresh in the face, soft brown hair combed back, and broad, confident shoulders.

"Got that." He flashed a perfect set of teeth. "You're seriously paying me to do this? And it has to be _her,_ right, with the pink hair?"

"Yup." Naruto was the one who answered this time. "Just do everything as Shikamaru says, and you'll be fine."

" _And_ well-fed, courtesy of the Akimichi clan." Choji held a thumbs-up.

"Shikamaru?" A commanding, female voice resounded through the bar's music.

Shikamaru tensed. "Go, _go._ Make sure you wait a while—maybe an hour or two. That should be enough time for them to have drank just _enough._ "

Choji shooed the young boy away as soon as dark-blond, spiky hair came into view.

"What was that?" Temari founder her way into their circle.

"Just a troublesome chuunin we needed to talk to." Shikamaru shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Let's go back and join the others?"

"I was just about to ask why you three aren't there."

"Like I said, it was nothing."

Temari eyed him suspiciously, but followed the boys back to their friends anyway.

* * *

"To Tenten's youth!" Lee had practically _screamed_ while he threw his mug of beer up. To his delight, the rest of Konoha 12 (and Temari) lifted their glasses in a toast and a round of cheers.

"Tenten's youth!"

"Happy birthday!"

Sakura smiled to herself, soaking up the joviality of the moment and feeling at ease and content. She was glad for moments like these, moments of respite that reminded her that some friendships in life were absolute—these people would _literally_ die for each other. She made sure to keep her pace, she couldn't get drunk because that meeting with Shizune still held true. Even if her senpai would likely allow her a night out, she didn't feel like slacking off on work.

This was probably the fifth time that Lee had a called for a toast, but everyone chugged down their drinks for Tenten's good fortune every single time. Safe to say, two hours into the party, everyone was positively smashed.

"I'm going to propose to Hinata," there was an arm around her neck and a slurred, smitten Naruto. "I swear—I'll do it later."

"Don't you _dare._ " Sakura growled.

"You don't think—hic—I should marry her?"

"It's not that, idiot, just don't say things like that when you're twenty-years-old and shit-faced."

"Naruto-kun?" A pale, gentle pair of hands pried him away from Sakura.

"Hinata-chan." Naruto shot her a dead-serious look. "I will marry you one day, but Sakura-chan says now is not the right time so propose."

The Hyuuga went red all over, but there was a little smile and she shared a look with Sakura. "Um—that's sweet."

"It's my ninja way! I won't—hic—back out on my word!"

"Let's go get you some water," Hinata was blushing harder by the second.

"Kurama's hungry!"

"Things seems lively,"

Sakura was surprised to find Temari standing beside her, watching with amusement as Hinata tried to placate a hyperactively-smitten Naruto. "With this bunch, nothing surprises me anymore."

"It was a little overwhelming at first." the Sunagakure-native admitted. "But it kind of grows on you."

"That it does," The medic smiled, nursing her cup of sake steadily.

"No plans of getting smashed?"

Sakura was about to open her mouth when a 'crash' and a painful sounding thud cut her off ("Kiba, what the _fuck_ are you doing, put that down—no, _Shino don't instigate him!_ ").

The two women shared laugh.

"I actually consider myself a public safety risk when I'm drunk." She sighed. "In fact, Shikamaru had to use Shadow-Possession to keep me from punching a hole through Sasuke's chest and the wall behind it a few years ago."

"Something tells me he had it coming."

Sakura snorted. "Had it coming for some five years, yeah. I still wasn't over him then. He asked me to wait while he disappeared to god-knows-where. I was having none of it—Ino and Tenten got me drunk the night before he left and… well, you can ask Shikamaru."

"It's none of my business, but I'm kind of glad that ship sunk."

"You're one of many." Sakura sighed, suddenly reminded of her love life's state of affairs. Her thoughts settled on a certain someone—was she counted as a love interest at this point? Or was it still a silly crush—forehead kisses and entangled hands included?

"Speaking of which, where's Ino?"

Sakura looked towards Temari sharply—that change of topic was way too close to home. The elder woman simply raised an eyebrow at Sakura's reaction but she could _swear_ there was the ghost of a smirk somewhere there. Did Shikamaru tell…? No, he wouldn't, even it _was_ Temari.

"Uhm, last I heard is she went to the bar to get a few more bottles." Sakura craned her neck, looking for platinum blonde from her perch at their table.

"Always one to keep the party running," Temari chuckled.

"Tell me about it." Sakura smiled, finally catching blonde hair and blue eyes amidst the bar's murky colors.

Something was wrong, though. A charming young man had boxed in an uncomfortable Ino with his arms. She leaned back against the bar, and Sakura wasn't sure if it was her business to intervene.

Not that it mattered—she stood up, marched to Ino's direction, and left Temari mildly bewildered.

* * *

"Hey, our guy's hitting on the wrong girl." Choji urgently tugged on Shikamaru's arm, pointing towards the bar.

Brown haired and broad shouldered, the man towered over Ino and leaned down, obviously drunk. He was way, _way_ too close for her comfort—even Shikamaru could tell—and things were going awry for his plan.

" _Shit._ " Shikamaru frantically made his way to the scene. "Where's Sakura? This isn't part of the plan—that's _not_ our guy!"

"What plan?" there was suddenly an iron grip around her elbow.

"Temari, look, I'll explain later but my teammate needs saving and—"

"Sakura seems to have that covered." She pointed out to the one-woman-army stomping towards Ino.

"Temari-san," Choji pleaded. "things might go badly if they aren't according to how Shikamaru thought out."

"Thought out? You're setting them up?" Temari asked, taken aback.

Shikamaru groaned. "Yes, and we need to salvage the plan or else—"

"You'll do _no_ such thing."

"What?" The boys asked simultaneously.

"I never knew that brilliant mind of yours cared for a simple game of matchmaker." Temari scowled. "You're meddling."

"I'm doing it for _them,_ you know, I care about Ino and I know Sakura will—"

"—be good for her?" the woman finished. "Then _let_ her prove it. On her own."

Shikamaru looked back, Sakura was near them by now. He sighed, it was too late. "Look, I promise to stay out of it after this. But this set-up was thoroughly constructed. We were supposed to ask Sakura to head to the bar for more drinks, that was our guy's cue to come up and just _talk_ to her, and then we'd ask Ino to fetch her. It had to be _Sakura_ that was getting hit on."

"Why not Ino?"

"Because _Ino_ is possessive, and _Sakura_ is protective—everybody thinks the more level-headed one between the two of them is Sakura, but who do you think is more likely to jump in the middle of a battle field and do something stupid?"

Temari paused. "Sakura."

"Yes, and in this situation the idea was to get Ino to act _possessively_ of Sakura—I don't know, kiss her, holder close, or whatever, just to prove to the guy that she didn't need him bothering her. But Sakura—"

"—is just going to sucker-punch the idiot." Temari sighed. Yes, Shikamaru was meddling with things he wasn't supposed to be meddling with, but he _really_ knew what he was doing. "Except, you didn't expect Ino to go the bar and get hit on by a random guy."

"Troublesome." Shikamaru face-palmed.

"She's a hot girl. In a bar. How did you _not_ see that coming?"

"Uhm, guys." Choji tugged at their sleeves, urging them to turn towards the two women. "I think the plan didn't go _that_ badly."

* * *

"Excuse me?" Sakura was a little pleased by how much venom was in her voice. Ino had a look of utter _relief_ and began duck out and underneath the tall man's arms—but he caught her in a grip. A grip which didn't last very long, because Sakura's _much, much_ stronger hand pried his away.

"Get lost, pinkie, I'm busy—"

"I told you, I'm taken, so get lost." Ino said with a murderous smile.

He snorted. "By whom? Her?"

The blonde huffed. "Yeah. Problem?"

Sakura gave Ino a look, but didn't object. She could play along.

"Yeah—sure. And let me guess, you can fucking read minds?"

Much to Sakura's amusement, Ino laughed. "You wouldn't believe me if I said yes."

"Why don't you try to read what's in mine, then?" He winked, obviously thinking he was dashing.

"Naked women, and an ego that's too big to back-up his _little_ package." Sakura shot back.

Ino looked mildly impressed.

The man scoffed. "I know this act already—the faithful best friend pretending to be gay to keep a guy like me away? Come one, I'm not so bad. I'm gonna be a chuunin soon, you know? Have my own team and—"

Sakura was tired of his shit. She pulled Ino closer by the waist, and paused for a good two seconds to look into her eyes.

Ino didn't have time to spare her a questioning glance because something warm and harsh was at the base of her neck, and her knees suddenly felt weak. Her arms automatically wrapped around Sakura's shoulders—but the pink haired girl didn't stop. She was sucking and biting and _oh god,_ Ino liked it a lot more than she thought she would. Sakura was giving her a _hickey._

"Hickey to mark what's mine." Sakura recovered, winking at the man's direction before taking Ino by the wrist and dragging her back to the table. The man outright stared and looked satisfyingly demasculinized.

Once they were a safe distance away, Ino laughed. "Wow. Are you sure you aren't drunk?"

The embarrassment caught up pretty quickly. Sakura was blushing profusely and couldn't look Ino the eye. "S—Sorry about that."

"Well, you got rid of him. Can't exactly be mad." Ino smirked.

When they arrived at the table, Sakura flushed even more. Tenten and a few others regarded them with expectant expressions. "We aren't even going to pretend that we didn't see that."

After an exhausting round of explanations—some of them bought it, some didn't—everyone had finally put the event behind themselves and enjoyed the rest of the evening.

Sakura didn't mind the constant arm around her waist, though.

* * *

"Didn't have to walk me home, Ino-pig."

They stood outside Sakura's doorstep, hand-in-hand but perfectly sober. The rest of the gang was honestly impressed at how they _didn't_ get smashed that night—Shizune would be so proud.

" _Or_ you could just say 'thanks'." Ino flicked her at the forehead. "I had to make sure to return the favor and keep the creeps away."

The medic snorted. "What, you'll give me a hickey too?"

Ino raised her eyebrows as if in silent consideration—that honestly didn't sound like such a bad idea. "Now I need to hide this cause my father isn't going to believe the truth," she said, amused.

Sakura grimaced. "Sorry about that. I could heal the bruise and—"

"Not keeping the mark on what's yours?" Ino herself was blushing a little, but the way Sakura's ears would flare pink was just _so_ worth the teasing. She grinned. "Somehow, I can't help but ask why you didn't just kiss me instead."

Sakura looked indignant. "I—Uh, it's not like I could ask _permission_ then and there."

"So, you gave me a _hickey_ in lieu of a kiss?" Ino snickered.

"I didn't know if you'd be okay with me kissing you out of nowhere," Sakura managed to roll her eyes, despite the fact that the blood had rushed up her head and she could _hear_ her own pulse.

A pause.

"And if I was?"

Sakura was caught off guard. Ino didn't looked like she was kidding this time. Blue eyes settled on green for a moment and then they looked away, suddenly finding Sakura's door-knob interesting.

"If—what?" How articulate. Sakura wanted to hit herself.

"If I was okay with that."

"Are you?" Sakura said softly, acutely aware of the warmth that was Ino's hand on hers. She ran her thumb over the blonde's—she noticed.

Ino stepped forward, Sakura felt her back against the arch of her doorway. Suddenly everything was intense—the cool night time chill was sharper, and every point of contact she had with Ino was almost _hot._ Sakura found that she was having trouble breathing.

"I am," Ino whispered.

It was Sakura who pulled on the collar of Ino's outer-coat, crashing her lips fully against the blonde's. They separated for mere moments before colliding into each other again, lips brushing sometimes softly, but more often rough. Someone had tilted their head—they weren't sure who anymore—and a tongue had slipped out only to be met eagerly by the other's. Ino bit Sakura's lip and the latter pulled her in by the waist.

The medic felt something burning at the pit of her stomach and _she did not want to let go_. This didn't seem to be an issue, though, because Ino seemed to be enjoying it just as much.

The blonde kunoichi pulled back to breathe—to look at Sakura in awe—to take everything in.

Sakura had other plans.

"Kiss me again."

Ino didn't need to be told twice. This time, her hand was planted against the wall and Sakura's arms were around her neck. The pink-haired woman dove down to place a kiss on the bruise she had left on Ino's neck, and Ino shivered. Sakura looked back up into the blonde's eyes. "Ino, I—"

"Yamanka-sense! Haruno-sensei! I—I found you."

Sakura was about ready to sucker-punch the poor kid who had interrupted them when she noticed that it was a genin intern from the hospital.

"This better be good," Ino grumbled, still leaning towards Sakura.

"It's Kaori-kun." He said grimly. "He destabilized, he's frantic and—and he might hurt himself."

Ino's entirely body language changed. "What's being done? I'll be right over."

"When I left, they were trying to sedate him."

Sakura found Ino's hand again. "I'll go with you."

"No," she said sharply. Ino's eyes softened. "Sorry, it's just—I need to deal with psychiatric patients on my own. Having you there will give me too much to think about."

Reluctantly, Sakura nodded. She could understand. Ino seemed to hesitate, but left her with a quick kiss goodbye, rushing off back to the hospital two hours past midnight.

She sighed. She supposed talking about it was going to have to wait.

* * *

 **This chapter is my favorite one so far. So many things happened, it was almost a nightmare to write! But I _pray_ that I paced it properly, and that I kept everyone in-character just right. I feel like this chapter is super crucial, but I think the most important one is the next, so, I hope you guys stay tuned for that! I've already outlined how it will all go so it shouldn't take me too long to update.  
**

 **We're down to the last two chapters! I hope you guys have the time to spare a review about what you liked and what you didn't!**

 **Lots of love,**

 **KR**


	5. The Art of Declining

**Good day, friends. I hope you're up for some cheesiness.**

* * *

Chapter 5: "The difference between sex and love is that sex relieves tension and loves causes it."—Woody Allen

 **x-x-x-x-x**

Sakura sat contemplatively on her living room couch. Her morning tea was losing heat on the coffee table, but she was far too drowsy and still a little out of it to be bothered. It was six in the morning—rays of sunlight were filtering in through the gaps of her curtains and she couldn't find it in herself to open the lights just yet. There was still time to prepare before the meeting with Shizune and she wondered if she should take the rest of the day off afterwards—perhaps ask Ino out to lunch? There was still a lot for them to talk about—especially after last night—and no doubt the blonde would need some relaxation after the emergency she had to attend to.

The medic sighed. _I wonder how that's going?_

As if on cue, the sound of a lock clicking open alerted her. She was about to stand ready for an intruder, but was put at ease when she saw blonde and sky-blue—she almost forgot that Ino knew where she kept her spare key.

"Hey." Sakura said with a small smile to the figure approaching. "Ino, how was he…? Are you oka—"

In a flash, Ino was kissing her harder than she had ever been kissed before. Sakura became vaguely aware that she was sinking into the cushions of her sofa, that Ino's legs were suddenly on either side of her body, that the blonde's chest was pressed up against hers, and that all she was wearing was a loose t-shirt and underwear—this didn't help the heat she felt building up in her abdomen. Sakura was very, very confused. She should have pushed her off, should have swatted the hands that wrapped themselves around her neck away, should have used her lips to ask what was going on instead of _kiss back harder and hotter._

Sakura found herself surprised by how bad she wanted this.

Hips were pressing against hips at this point, and when Ino pulled back, her lips were swollen and her gaze severe. This time, it was Sakura who dove in, licking at the healing bruise on Ino's neck—she wanted to give her _more_ of those. Good god, had Ino always been _this_ hot? Sakura felt her pulse quicken and her head swim. Her warm hands were suddenly underneath various articles of clothing and Ino was _oh-so-_ encouraging. There was something a bit off in the way she kissed Sakura, though. A harshness—an anger. Some kind of pain was seeping through.

Meanwhile, Ino wanted to _forget._

She gave in to her needs, bearing down on Sakura and not giving the other woman a moment of respite. It almost felt like she was showing her claws—feral and boundless. Sakura's emerald eyes had gone dark, and Ino could _feel_ her gaze boring into her: wanting, needing. Sakura hadn't even paused to ask. She knew she shouldn't be doing this—not to herself, not to Sakura—but she did it anyway. Anything to ease the sting of failure and incompetence. She threw out her self-doubt and regret, replacing it with the feeling of Sakura running her palm up her thigh, igniting fires along the way. It was working—the distraction—and soon she was thinking less about hospital beds and tranquilizers and more about Sakura's tongue on her skin. Her fingernails dragged along the pink-haired kunoichi's back—Ino felt her name whispered against her throat. The couch would do—she didn't give a fuck. They could do it on the floor for all she cared. She needed this, needed _her_ —she needed to feel _anything_ but the pain and it had to happen _right now._

That's when Sakura noticed she was crying.

"Ino?" The fog hazing Sakura's mind lifted a little, and she could feel Ino squirm in opposition to the loss of contact when she pulled back. She swallowed, Ino was deliciously disheveled by now. She'd be lying if she said she didn't _want_ her but good lord—she looked so _broken._ "What happened?"

"Just give me this—right now." The blonde growled, pushing Sakura back by her shoulders and nipping at her earlobe. Sakura groaned, enjoying the attention. She could feel herself giving in—it would be so easy to let Ino have her way with her. She had feelings for Ino, she knew, but she never bothered to think about such _physical_ intimacies. And now it was falling right on her lap—quite literally—and Sakura didn't feel like turning that down.

But then there it was again, the saltiness of tears. What was the right thing to do? She wanted Ino right now—all rough kisses and demanding groans. It was getting warm between their legs, and she remembered in an afterthought that her tea was probably cold by now. Ino caught her in another searing kiss, burning away Sakura's self-restraint when her hips rolled forward and the blonde's thighs tightened around her torso. _Anything to make her better,_ Sakura reasoned to herself when she dragged her fingertips across the skin of Ino's back and down to her hips. _I'll ask what happened later, but if right now this is what she needs—_ she laid a hand on Ino's inner thigh.

Neither of them had anything to lose, right?

But, when Ino had whispered ' _please',_ Sakura just couldn't. She stared into the blue eyes she grew so fond of: they looked wounded. _No_ —she pulled her hands away from Ino's skin— _no_ , she couldn't do this to her best friend; she couldn't do this to someone she… she _loved._

She loved her.

It hit Sakura like a train to the chest—she _loves_ her. She loves her, and she was in pain, and she could give Ino her body, but she wanted to give her so much _more_ and—

"It's okay," Sakura finally whispered. Their movements stilled. Ino blinked once, twice, and finally the tears were starting to come freely.

Ino dropped all pretenses of seduction and _cried._ She buried her face in the crook of Sakura's neck and wept—for herself, for the boy she wishes she could have saved. "H—He didn't make it. I was his doctor and—"

"It's not your fault." Sakura cooed, gently pushing Ino back so she could stroke her hair. She wiped her tears away with her thumbs, kissing her eyes one by one, her nose, her forehead and her lips. Over and over again, kissing her as gently as she could while Ino held onto her like her life depended on it. She let her. "I know how you feel, Ino. Trust me—I was a medic in the war."

"He was just a boy," she whispered.

Sakura kissed her. It was different this time—dripping with love, a bit of lust, but bursting with affection. Ino felt a little part of her troubles float away.

"If you keep crying like that, I'm going to lose the only competition I have on who looks prettiest."

Ino finally smiled a little a through her tears. "Really? This is your idea of comforting a broken heart?"

"Can't say it isn't working," Sakura smiled. She let Ino stay there, on top of her on the couch. Their hands were no longer frantic and invasive, they were tame and tender. She stroked her blonde hair and kissed her at the temple, shushing her every now and then when the sobs broke through.

Shizune's meeting could wait, she was content just to hold Ino right then and there. She would kiss her softly and whisper the stupidest things but somehow, those made Ino giggle the most. Sakura didn't know how long they had been sitting nestled together on her couch. She didn't mind even if it was probably a few hours— _this_ is what Ino needed. Not to forget, but to have someone hold her while she suffered through the reality of her pain.

"How do you deal with it?" Ino whispered.

"I cry—and then I work hard to get better."

"I never would have thought you'd become this strong."

Sakura chuckled, running her finger through blonde hair. "Stop that. It's weird when you _actually_ compliment me."

Ino rolled her eyes (much to Sakura's relief). "You were such a fragile little girl."

"I owe you a lot, you know? I wouldn't be me if—"

"Don't." Ino cut her short with a small smile. "I just gave you a little push—the rest was all on you. Also, you're right, it _is_ weird when we're painfully honest about how we don't actually hate each other."

They shared a little laugh.

"I'm sorry." Ino sounded like a whimpering puppy. It made Sakura cringe.

"For?"

"Sexually harassing you on your own couch?"

"We can talk about that another time," Sakura brushed Ino's bangs back.

"But—"

Sakura kissed her, determined to push the issue back for another time. Ino didn't need to deal with _that_ , too. She understood and could wait, but it didn't mean she didn't want to be there for her as much as she could. "Do you want to… spend the day with me?"

Despite her swollen eyes and stuffy nose, Ino smiled—she looked a little amused, even. Sakura's ears were flushed red and she was biting her lip a little.

"So, are you asking me out on a date?"

"Shut up."

* * *

"Please bear with it," Sakura whispered through gritted teeth, maintaining the smile which almost looked like a grimace.

"Next time you ask me out, I just might say no." Ino said under her breath, making sure that it wasn't any louder than what Sakura could hear. The walk to the busy market streets of Konoha was _supposed_ to be uneventful, but half-way to their destination a pair of rabid parents had spotted them and all but dragged the two young ladies back home.

"There they go again, mumbling among themselves!" Mebuki chided, brandishing her ladle as if it were as deadly as a kunai. "Honestly, anata, it's like they've barely grown!"

"Ah—You can say that again! I'm glad we ran into you two at the market, it's been _ages_ since Sakura visited!"

Sakura couldn't help but smile at her father, animatedly chatting with Ino who looked a little more intimidated that she should have. They sat on the cushions around the low table of the Haruno household's dining room over tea and mid-afternoon soup. Mebuki had _insisted_ that they eat something—never mind whatever plans to eat out they had.

"Still," Sakura's mother grinned—it was identical to the medic's smile and Ino all but _melted_ , "it's so good to see you visit, Sakura."

"Kaa-san, you kidnapped us from the street." Sakura didn't look she minded at all, though.

"And you happily came along!" Hizashi nodded, looking pleased. "Say, Ino-chan, how have you been? Married yet?"

The blonde looked mortified. " _Married?_ No—"

"Ah! Then, seeing anyone?"

Ino paused for two seconds before sputtering. "Well," she turned to Sakura, fully expecting the woman to be just as flustered and blushing to the ears. She was right. However, she wasn't ready for the half-amused, half-expectant look Sakura met her with.

 _Well?_ The medic seemed to challenge, raising an eye-brow at Ino.

"I'm not… actually… sure?"

"Tell me all about him!" He inched in, setting down his cup of tea to cross his arms and give her his full attention.

"Well, I don't know, sir—"

"Sir?" He frowned.

"Did you really just call my father 'sir'?" Sakura outright snickered, poking at Ino's side.

"I mean _ojii-san_ ," Ino amended, turning a little red. _Why do I have a feeling this is how Naruto feels around Hiashi-dono, except that's around ten times worse?_ "I'm not sure how to go about explaining it."

Ino found herself looking for the right words. What _were_ they at this point? She didn't want to stress herself out because (in her defense) they haven't actually talked about it. But, what does she say? Pretending like it was nothing was the least complicated choice, but she wasn't sure how Sakura would take it—would she get hurt? _Damn it, ojii-san. It just_ had _to be you asking._

"It's one of those _complicated_ relationships, I see." Mebuki was all ears at this point. "You know, Hizashi was a complete pain-in-the-ass back in the day."

"They _do_ have that in common then." Ino commented off-handedly to which Sakura could only glare.

"But you learn to get around the rough edges," the Haruno matriarch spoke like a beacon of wisdom and experience. "—and you learn the art of getting them to do what you want."

"Obaa-san, you _have_ to teach me that one day," Ino grinned, feeling better at-ease with Mebuki.

"Yeah, _sure._ " Sakura groaned. "Just my luck."

"Hm?" Mebuki paused, looking clueless.

"I—I meant, as if we need _Ino_ to be bossier than she already is!"

"Ino-chan is our guest, darling!" The eldest woman nagged, clicking her tongue. "Play nice."

"Sakura is _very_ good at playing nice," Ino said smugly, feeling Sakura's iron grip wrapping itself dangerously around her hand from under the table.

"Is she?" Hizashi shot her an inquiring look, crossing his arms again. Ino—for some reason—swallowed.

"I meant—sir, she's always fooling around the hospital and—"

" _Tou-san_ , stop harassing Ino on her love life," Sakura came to the rescue, blushing cheeks and all.

"It's typical for an old man to ask!" He laughed, and Ino suddenly wondered what she was so nervous about in the first place. "Just make sure you ladies know what you're getting into."

"That's right," Mebuki supplied, already refilling their bowls of soup with seconds. "Find yourselves a good other-half. The kind that puts you ahead of themselves—you know? Gives you what you need instead of what you want, even if it's against what _they_ want too. Knows how to say no—both to _you_ and himself."

 _Someone who..._

It was like flowers blooming in her chest; a person _just_ like that sounded awfully familiar. Suddenly, she felt the need to find Sakura's hand under the table and hold it in hers.

Sakura. Lovely, _lovely_ , Sakura who was writhing underneath the weight of Ino's lust just a few hours ago. She said no. Sakura looked all too willing to give what Ino wanted, but didn't because she _knew_ that wasn't what she needed. _Someone who knows how to say 'no' for you._ Someone who put Ino ahead of herself—despite the want or _need._

"I have a feeling that won't be a problem, obaa-san," the blonde said with a small, genuine smile.

"Oh?" Sakura looked intrigued, albeit a little shy.

"Yeah," Ino softly; their hands were intertwined now.

Ino struggled to contain her emotions—the depth of what she had realized from Mebuki's words were bearing down her. Was that what Sakura was feeling a while ago? She was giving in to Ino's advances—the blonde could feel her caving. Then something _snapped_ ; it was as if Sakura had realized something immensely important. From that moment on, there was nothing but warmth and tenderness in her green eyes, and she began to hold her so reverently that Ino was thrown off-balance.

Ino felt her chest swell; she was _falling._

Or… had she already loved her all this time? In a way, she knew she always did. This was _Sakura_ , her best friend for _years._ It was to be expected that feelings would develop a little differently than if it were anyone else.

 _Ahh, this is too much to think about in front of Sakura's parents._

"Are you okay?" Sakura was a soft voice near her ear and a comforting hand on her back.

"Yeah, uh—I love your parents but we need to talk," the blonde whispered back.

Nodding in understanding, Sakura waited until her parents had shifted back into aimless small talk before announcing that they had a lot of work to do and had to go ("Is the hospital over-working you two? My, my, I might go down there to have a word!" "Kaa-san, _don't_."). The Harunos eventually gave in and reluctantly released their only daughter, but only _after_ extorting a promise of visiting more often from her.

"Ah, that reminds me!" Hizashi stroked his beard. "I heard it's Hokage-sama's birthday soon! Ne, Sakura-chan, you already know what you'll get your old sensei?"

" _T—TOU-SAN!"_

"Oh, dear! Did I say anything wrong?! Mebuki, _help!_ She's gone red and is choking on her tea!"

* * *

They were leaning on Ino's front door inside her living room, Sakura was pinning Ino back. The sun was coming down now, setting the interior of her apartment ablaze in orange. It was a lovely contrast to the way the rays were pouring in from the opposite direction earlier that morning in Sakura's place; a similar contrast to how _differently_ Ino was kissing her now and then.

She was needy and selfish earlier, now she just wanted to let Sakura know how she felt. So, she took her time. Cupping Sakura's cheek, pulling her in closer, gently laying their foreheads together while their noses touched and their lips connected.

It was breathtaking.

"Ino?" Sakura spoke up, a little caught-off guard because it was the _second_ time Ino had attacked her in one day, but somehow, she liked this time better than the first. She smiled, "I thought you wanted to 'talk'?"

Ino didn't seem like she was going to say anything anytime soon; she just closed her eyes and held Sakura close. Sakura didn't pry.

"You love me." Ino finally spoke up, clear as day.

Sakura, in any other situation, would have scoffed and bickered with Ino because of how _presumptuous_ that statement was— _really_ , she was just going to go ahead and assume someone loved her?

But, _oh_ , this wasn't just any situation.

"I do."

Sakura kissed her again, as if to prove her words with actions.

"Silly forehead," Ino's smile was immaculate; her fingers softly caressed the pink locks along the other woman's nape.

"I could think of hundred other ways you could have replied to my valiant declaration," Sakura almost rolled her eyes.

"Those wouldn't be _me,_ though."

"True enough," Sakura laughed, and then just as suddenly her voice was small again. "How… did you know?"

"This morning." Ino bit her lip, daring to kiss Sakura softly once more—as if in apology. "When I—you know."

"Sexually harassed me on my couch?" the medic joked.

"Yeah—but in my defense, you didn't seem very _harassed._ "

"I'm not going to lie and say I didn't like it," there was heavy huskiness to Sakura's voice at this point, and Ino bit her lip.

"That's how I knew," the blonde whispered. "Because you… didn't let that happen to me. Even if you may have wanted it. I would've been so easy."

"You're never anything but difficult, Ino-pig." Sakura teased.

"I'm not sure whether to take pride or offense in that," Ino huffed.

Sakura simply hummed in reply, and a soft lull of silence had settled in between them. Comfortable, peaceful. After some time, Sakura didn't look like she was joking around anymore.

"Tell me," she said almost desperately.

Ino smiled, kissing Sakura's nose.

" _Ino_ —it isn't funny. Don't leave me hanging after I—"

"I love you, Sakura."

The relief that had washed over the pink-haired kunoichi's features almost made Ino laugh. Did she _really_ think she wouldn't feel the same way? Ino kissed her again.

"Do you?" Sakura mumbled against her lips, moving back to ghost a kiss underneath Ino's ear.

"Don't push it, forehead. You get one confession a day."

Rolling her eyes, Sakura pulled Ino into an embrace with a smile.

 **x-x-x-x-x**

Half an hour later, they were curled up together on Ino's bed talking about everything from Iwagakure-made sake to who Lee's mysterious new girlfriend is.

"I hate that we kind of owe Naruto and Shikamaru," the medic groaned.

"And your mom, who I think I need a word with."

"With _Kaa-san_?" Sakura winced.

"If you're anything like Hizashi-jii-san, I'm learning every Haruno-Control-Technique I can."

" _Don't,_ " Sakura shivered, jabbing a finger at Ino's side. "I still can't believe that stupid birthday-joke actually got us somewhere."

"Don't you think we owe Kakashi-sensei _that_ much?" Ino winked, grinning.

"Oh, _please._ " Sakura nearly face-palmed. "We owe it to Akimoto and his unfortunate senbon accident just as much."

"So, we have to make out for _him_ , too?"

"Ino!"

"I'll pass—don't feel like sharing you." The blonde snuggled in closer to Sakura's warmth.

"Possessive already?" Sakura teased.

"I'm not the one giving hickeys to mark her territory."

"That was! I was just—Never mind."

"Not that I mind," Ino smirked before stealing a kiss.

Sakura realized that she was very much enjoying the entanglement of their limbs, and the little whispers and gentle touches were kind of getting to her. It was a little surreal, to be honest. Was this really happening? Were they really in love with one another, so soon? But then, it wouldn't _really_ be soon after all the history they had together. _Ah, who gives gives a damn._ Sakura was happy to just lay there, smiling and surprisingly in-love.

"Say, Ino."

"Hm?"

"Now that everything's clear and on the table—is the offer you gave on my couch this morning still open?"

Ino's smile was almost predatory. "That," she purred, already crawling on top of Sakura, "...can be arranged."

* * *

 **A/N: Hi, guys! I know that the ending is kind of mellow... there isn't any big explosion of drama and kissing-in-the-rain scene but, I feel like something like this is really true to their relationship. The love would already be there, it's just a matter of finding it in the right situations.  
**

 **Anyway, HUHU it's nearly over! But not quite; there will be an epilogue chapter so stay tuned for that!**

 **As of posting this chapter, I've already laid out the foundation and the first chapter of the next InoSaku fic I'm making - yes I'm shamelessly plugging it even before properly ending this one. But that one is a lot more- _M_ rated than this. And I really mean M rated. I'm not very sure if it's going to be your cup of tea, but if you're open-minded hop by sometime soon to check it out!**

 **Thanks, and I hope you guys can leave a review!**


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